Shorewood Packaging - Gravure

“The simulator is an excellent training tool for our press operators in conjunction with our pay for skills program making simulator training a mandatory part of the promotion process.”

“We have received positive feed back from each of the operators that have trained on the simulator.”

“The program has helped our operators as well as myself to further diagnose the root cause of many of our on going issues.”

“I personally feel that it is probably the best teaching tool when it comes to gravure problem recognition and trouble shooting skills.”

Graphic Packaging - Sheetfed offset

“Management realized that, once you start throwing away pallets of product, you can burn up the cost of the simulator in a few hours,”

“Not a lot of people understand the concept of litho—how it works and the principles behind it. It takes a long time to learn, and if you start throwing away pallets of product, those costs don’t take long to add up.”

Field Container - Sheetfed Packaging

“It’s as close as you can get without actually being on press”“Because the training took place off line, it didn’t take away from our presstime, and there was no waste involved”“The perfect pressman doesn’t walk in the door, you have to develop the people you have”

Litho-Krome - Sheetfed Packaging

“...condenses a lot of training into a short period of time”“...with technology changing daily, you can’t use old-style apprenticeship programs”

“You have to look on the horizon and prepare for the future, SHOTS helps us do that”

“It sensitizes the operator to the fact that every single event impacts the cost of the job, they get twofold training, learning the cost structure while working on their troubleshooting skills.”

“Even someone that doesn’t have any knowledge of printing can walk away with the feeling that they understand the process”

PrintPack Inc. – Packaging Flexo

“The Simulator is definitely the best training tool available—hands down! It eliminates the need to use heavy machinery, which is very costly and also wastes large amounts of material.”

“This Press Simulator is the greatest thing I’ve seen since I came into the flexographic printing industry 25 years ago. The most impressive thing about it is accuracy”

“Based on what a press will do, it’s about 95 percent Press; operators that I put through Simulator exercises are absolutely amazed.”“It does a super job. The training approach is really down to earth. The Simulator is extremely user friendly”

“We are trying to build a strong foundation and the Simulator helps us accomplish our objective. We emphasize bringing people in, training them and retraining them. We want our new employees to establish a strong connection with the company.”

“Our turnover rate has dropped dramatically since implementation of the new hire orientation program. It is valuable that they see that the company has invested in tools to increase their skills in the future. That helps to peak their interest and commitment to the company up front”

“Brings consistency to the learning process. Gone are the days when we simply brought Bill in, introduced him to Ralph and let the two work side-by-side for six weeks, which exposed Bill to Ralph’s good habits and Ralph’s bad habits.”

“We use it for troubleshooting purposes and it definitely assists us in reducing setup costs”

“The Simulator keeps the employee interested. We have tried teaching from a book and found that, around chapter 2, we lose the person’s attention and interest. Since the Simulator gives him the chance to practice what he learns, it builds confidence up.”

Smurfit-Stone - Sheetfed Packaging

“A great tool”

“We have seen a direct parallel between success using the program and performance on the printing press”

“We needed a way to train new employees quickly»“I sit with the new employees for the first couple of times to help them get acclimated.”

“SHOTS is a self-study course. I don’t have to be there all the time.”“Our investment in our employees makes them feel good about themselves, which is very important”

Sonoco Flexible Packaging – Packaging Flexo

“A really valuable training tool ”

“The quality of the Simulator, as well as its capabilities, has definitely exceeded our expectations. One of the most important benefits associated with the Press Simulator is its guarantee to create consistency in training”

“Results I have seen so far indicate that the system encourages and creates debate and good communication among the press operators that have gone through Simulator exercises. When they see something on the Simulator that they have not seen on press, they will bring it to the pressroom floor to discuss it.”

Willamette Industries - Packaging Flexo

“Improved productivity, reduced press downtime, enhanced problem-solving skills, improved camaraderie and more and more evidence of a definite ‘can-do’ attitude.”

“Set-ups go quicker. Wash-ups go quicker. The group (all 20 press personnel split between a three-shift operation) is working together far, far better than before.”

“This is a good way to train people without incurring materials and machine time costs. The Simulator addresses the problem-solving process better than any training device we’ve used in the past.”

“Each person spends 30 minutes to 40 minutes a session on the Simulator. We schedule each individual for two to three sessions per week, depending on workload.”

“It’s impossible to find people with flexographic printing skills. What we look to do is get somebody that is trainable”

“The Simulator is helping to save us money on training expenses.” “Before an entry level employee can move up, he or she has to pass a test to be awarded the wage increase. The Simulator is part of the testing process”

International Paper - Packaging Offset

“One of the best, most efficient and cost effective means of building a continuous training culture”

“The simulator has had an extremely positive impact on the plant”“Press crews become more systematic and effective in their trouble shooting skills”

“Use of the densitometer in the pressroom has become a vital part of our trouble-shooting and quality improvement program. This would never have taken place without the demonstrated use on the simulator”

“It shows cause and effect extremely well, and condenses a lot of training into a very short time”.

“Many employees want to improve their job skills and realize this is a great tool for doing that”

“The fact that we can create our own exercises is wonderful”

“Because it captures every action, every decision that the trainee makes, we always have a reference to work with”

Westvaco - Packaging Offset and Gravure

“What a great way to learn, there are no angry supervisors, bad material or unhappy customers!”

“There are excellent opportunities to standardise work procedures, improve quality, lower waste and increase output using the simulator”

RJR Packaging - Gravure

“The software works”

“It provides a supportive, yet challenging learning environment”“Its data capture allows the trainee and trainer to reflect on their actions”

“I can «build a press» that mirrors my specific production environment”

“I can use it to train at any level from preparation, through apprenticeship, to Mastery.”

“It can assign and assess costs to performance without disruption to our manufacturing process or our bottom line.”